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She’s renowned for having a good body and over the past week or so Elizabeth Hurley has been flaunting her toned curves on Instagram. What started as a selfie for National Bikini Day (yes, there is such a thing) has developed into several snaps of Hurley stretching in her Hertfordshire garden.

Yesterday, the 52 year old model posted a picture captioned ‘Day 2 of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g’, showing her doing the crab yoga pose. Hurley isn’t the only celebrity who’s enjoys yoga, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba and Gisele are all said to be fans. The latter shared her head stand skill on Instagram a couple of years ago.

But there are so many myths surrounding the practice, including the idea that you have to be flexible or it’s for women only, so we asked US-based yoga instructor Patrick Beach to dispel the myths.

First and foremost though, what are the benefits of yoga and is it worth following in the celebrities footsteps?

“Yoga is a brilliant way to keep your body balanced. You can push yourself really hard, but you also have parts of the practice that help level you out and bring you back into a centre,” says Patrick Beach. “It helps unwind your body and gets different muscles working in your body to build stability, balance and flexibility.”

The common yoga myths

You can’t get a proper workout from yoga

Yoga is what we make of it and what we receive from the practise,” says Beach. “ You can go fast in parts of the practise, work really hard and get your heart rate up to improve your cardio.”

For those who want to try a more challenging style of yoga, look to Ashtanga. It’s more athletic. You need to be flexible.

Another popular myth is that you’ll struggle in you’re not very flexible, but Beach says it can sometimes be a good thing.

“If you are particularly flexible it’s almost harder to feel the sensation of some of the poses you’ll practise,” he explains.

“So in fact, you will get an even quicker stimulation or sensation in your body if you’re less flexible, as it requires less for your muscles to create that space and for you to feel the benefit – which something the majority of people aren’t really aware of.”

You can’t do short bursts of yoga

With the rise of 30 minute sweat-drenching classes, an hour of yoga can feel too luxurious for the time-poor among us.

“There are lots of very simple, short practises that you can do in just 10 minutes,” says Beach.

“Just doing a few simple poses, finding an easy seat and relaxing will give you mental and physical benefits in a short space of time, so there are no excuses if you’re routine is a busy one!”

Yoga isn't for men

Up until around 50 years ago, it was actually mainly men who practised yoga. The idea that it’s more of a female practise is something the Western world has devised, Beach explains. However, this is changing slowly.

“I have a student that was a former member of the Hell's Angels, I have a student who is a defensive lineman in the NFL, I have a student in the NBA – all these people are very different in terms of who they are, what they believe and what they do – so this is just a glimpse into how diverse it,” says Beach.